biking, biking, biking

Some of the teachers here went all together on a biking trip. It was the same place I had biked last year and loved it. On the way way there I was raving to the first timers about how cool the long tunnel was and the long bridges and how much fun the whole day was going to be. This is my lesson - never bet your money on any experience being like any previous or future experience on this island. :) Reaching the bike rental place, they informed us one of the bridges was crooked and we'd have to bike to one side, then come back, return our bikes, drive around to the other side, rent new bikes, and continue our day's journey. Okay. Do-able. This we did, also discovering on the way that the super cool long tunnel was only opened to those on foot since it was so crowed. Phooey. Ah well. Cool stuff ahead, right?

After returning, driving, renting new bikes and continuing on our venture, we suddenly (and I mean suddenly) came to a boarded off bridge. "Why is this blocked off?" I asked with frustration. I remembered this bridge and how beautiful it was to go across and look from it down onto the river... and then also, "Why didn't anyone tell us the bridge [and thus the only way up the mountain to the museum that was to be our destination] was out of order?" I climbed down some steps on the side of the path to take a closer look at the bridge and see for myself how bad the problem really was... This is what I saw:

... Yes, you see that right. The entire middle portion of the bridge is missing. "What in the world...?" You may also notice that in my hand I hold a mostly eaten ice cream cone. This is because there was some kind soul who had driven his ice-cream-carrying scooter to this disappointing point of only-return to comfort those of us who had looked forward to the actual bike ride that those renting the bikes had, well, failed to mention would be quite difficult as there was no longer one of the bridges of the path. This guy probably figured he could make some money from the deal as well, which he did, as Judy proceeded to treat everyone in our party to a delicious cone.
Oh, and here's something interesting. Here's a picture that was taken from that bridge less than a year ago:

Again I asked, "So why did no one tell us about this rather important fact that a bridge is missing?" I got this answer, "I guess they wanted to make money."

Well, since our office is full of movers and shakers and not just curler-uppers and pouters, we managed to finagle a way to our destination.... by off-roading on city roads. We forsook the bike path and took to the city streets. It was fun! We did find the museum... which was closed... but we also found a great place in the city (what city it was exactly, I still do not know) to eat lunch and take a rest. On our way back, we detoured a bit and visited a farm...
...where we fed some strange looking goats.... and enjoyed some goat milk popsicles.


Then we headed back. Here are two of our party on a tandem bike (cue: Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do, I'm half crazy over the love of you. It won't be a stylish marriage, I can't afford a carriage. But you'd look sweet upon the seat of a bicycle built for two.) Notice that Peggy is holding out her goat milk popsicle so as not to drip on her, her husband, or the bike.


Though quite different from the time before, it was a fabulous and funny day. Who could ask for more?